Cabbage Patch Soup

PREP TIME: 1 Hour SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups cabbage, finely shredded
2 tbsps margarine
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup garlic, diced
1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes with juice
2 cups water
1 can red kidney beans
1 tsp chili powder
salt and black pepper

METHOD:In a 5-quart cast iron dutch oven, melt margarine over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and brown until meat is thoroughly cooked. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables are wilted. Add tomatoes and, using the back of a spoon, break tomatoes into the meat/vegetables mixture. Add water and beans, blending well until all is incorporated. Add Add cabbage, bring mixture to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook until cabbage is tender. Season to taste using chili powder, salt, pepper .

Shrimp Fondue

1 can shrimp Campbell’s soup
8oz. cream cheese,
½ sour cream
1 teaspoon horseradish
¼ Worester sauce
1 can shrimp
Heat

Aunt Bobbies Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 egg
½ teaspoon each vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, salt
2 cups flour

375- for 6-8 minutes roll thin= crispy when edges go brown, they are done- (if you make a double batch, need to put less flour- so when you put flour on the board to roll- that’s where the extra flour comes from)

Shrimp Fondue

My favorite Son In Law

Two wonderful recipes come from my favorite son in law Tim. When I visit my daughter Jen and Tim in Minneapolis Tim often has dinner ready for us when we return from running around doing what moms and daughters do.

Parmesan Chicken

1. 3/4 cups Original Bisquick mix
2. 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
3. 2 tablespoons Parmesan
4. 1 egg
5. 4 chicken breast
6. 3 table spoons olive oil
7. 2 cups tomato pasta sauce
8. 1 cup shredded cheese
9. spaghetti or noodles

Mix together ingredients #1-3, in a separate bowl beat the egg. Coat chicken with the Bisquick mix, then dip in the egg and cover in Bisquick mix again. Cook in olive oil 4-6 minutes turn cover and cook 8-10 minutes. Add pasta sauce to skillet, put chicken on top of sauce, cook 2-3 more minutes.

Cook spaghetti or noodles, sever chicken and sauce on top of spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese.

Just last night I made the chicken alone and served it with mashed potatoes, a vegetable and salad. It was fantastic!! Thanks Tim.

Tim's second recipe is the latest favorite of my husband Jim. Of course he says that after every meal.

Taco Squares

1. 1 pound hamburger
2. onion- chopped
3. 2 tablespoons Taco Mix seasoning
4. small can green chillies
5. tomato sliced or chopped
6. 1 cup Bisquick
7. 1/4 cup water
8. 1/2 cup sour cream
9. 1/3 cup mayo
10. 1/2 cup cheese

In skillet brown onion and burger together, add Taco seasoning, chillies and tomatoes. In separate bowl mix 1 cup Bisquick and 1/4 cup water- spread in a baking dish I use an 8x8 square dish. Cover the Bisquick with the hamburger mix. Mix the remaining ingredients together and spread over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate Caramel Pretzels

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
20 caramels
2 1/2 teaspoons water
36 large single stick pretzels
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided

Directions:
Grease a cookie sheet with the vegetable oil. Combine the caramels and the water in a saucepan and melt over low heat stirring frequently or in a covered dish in a microwave
at full power for 1 1/2 minutes.

Dip a single pretzels a few at a time in the caramel about half way leaving a handle of clean pretzel lay on the greased cookie sheet.
Refrigerate until caramel is firm.
Melt 3 ounces of the chocolate. Remove from heat. While the chocolate is still hot, mix the remaining 1 ounce of chocolate into the melted chocolate in 2 additions, stirring until each addition is completely melted before adding the next.

Lift the caramel covered pretzels from the sheet and dip one at a time into the chocolate. Coat completely and lift. Shake off excess chocolate by rapping on the edge of the bowl lightly. Remove any drips from the bottom by running the fork across the edge of the bowl.

Slide the candy covered pretzel onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Once you get the hang of this decorate the chocolate before it cools. Allow to cool until solid. Let chocolate set at room temperature. Wrap in Saran wrap and tie with a pretty piece of ribbon. Wonderful gift.

CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS

Quick an Easy Aunt Bobby's Chocolate Covered Pretzels

6 oz. coating chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Desired amount of pretzels for dipping1 tbsp. shortening

Place chocolate in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water. Add shortening. Stir until mixture begins to melt. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted.
Coatings dip best at 85 degrees. Dip each pretzel in coating Aunt Bobby only dipped half the pretzel. Remove with tongs and lay on baking sheets lined with waxed paper. Chill, uncovered, until coating is set. Stack and store in airtight containers. Makes 4 to 5 dozen.

Chocolate Covered Spoons

Supplies you will need:
12 ounce package of chocolate chips. You may use semi-sweet, white chocolate, raspberry flavored, or any other kind of baking chip of your choice.
40 heavy plastic spoons
Shortening
Deep glass measuring cup
Colored cellophane or Saran Wrap
Waxed paper
Thin Ribbon

Chocolate Spoons Instructions
Pour the chips into a heatproof container, such as a measuring cup. A deep cup is the best for this project.
Microwave the cup of chips at half power for one minute. Stir. Repeat in 30 second bursts until chocolate is smooth and fully melted, but do NOT over cook.
Add to the melted chocolate one teaspoon of shortening for each cup of chips. Stir lightly until just blended.

Dip plastic spoons into the chocolate to coat the bowl and about one inch of the handle. If the chocolate starts to harden, microwave 30 seconds at half power.

Lay spoons on wax paper to set. When chocolate spoons have set, put them in the freezer for 15 minutes. This makes them easier to handle when you start to wrap them.Take squares of colored cellophane and wrap the coated spoons. Tie with a pretty ribbon.

Once you have mastered the basic technique, you can experiment! Try drizzling streaks of white chocolate over dipped spoons to create a design. Sprinkle colored sugar on chocolate before it sets for a holiday look.

A bundle of chocolate spoons set in a coffee mug makes a nice gift.
Tie a few spoons to a bag of gourmet coffee beans for a coffee loving friend.
Keep spoons on hand during the holidays to use when serving drinks to your visitors.

OR

Chocolate Dipped Spoons

- Stir a little chocolate sweetness into a mug of coffee, espresso or hot chocolate.

Plastic spoons

6 ounces white dipping chocolate

6 ounces dark dipping chocolate

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper.

2. Put the white and dark chocolate in separate bowls and melt each type of chocolate in the microwave. Microwave at half power for 1 minute. Stir thoroughly. Continue to microwave and stir at 15 second intervals until smooth and completely melted.

3. Dip a spoon into the bowl, covering both sides completely. Place the spoon on the cookie sheet & rest the spoons handle on the cookie sheet edge.

4. Make some spoons using white chocolate and others using dark chocolate.

5. Drizzle a contrasting chocolate color over each spoon.

6. Refrigerate until chocolate is completely hardened.

7. Wrap each spoon in cellophane, and bind it around with a piece of seam binding, or ribbon.